Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Napa Valley: Prix Fixe Dinner at Ad Hoc

When I told friends that I went to Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc, their replies were always the same-- "did you have the fried chicken?" Unfortunately the famous fried chicken at Ad Hoc is served on Mondays, and my friend and I were there on a Thursday. I am happy to say though, that I was still blown away by everything I did try.

Ad Hoc offers a $52 (+ $36 for wine) 4-course menu for dinner that changes on a daily basis. Each course is served family-style. The restaurant serves brunch on Sundays.

This was hands down the best meal I've had in 2015, and looking back on it is making my mouth water. I cannot wait to return on a Monday and get some of that fried chicken!

Mar I Muntanya is a Catalan dish composed of chicken and seafood over rice. I am a huge fan of seafood paellas, and this dish won me over just one bite in. The rice was incredibly flavorful with a perfect al dente texture, the chicken skin was crispy, the inside moist and juicy, and all the seafood was fresh and amazing.

Veal Cutlet ($16 addition) with olives, tomato sauce, capers

Without the additional course, we definitely would've had more than enough food, but we did drive over to Napa mainly for dinner at Ad Hoc (wine tasting was just a bonus), so when it came to deciding whether to add on this veal cutlet or not, it took all of a minute for us to say yes. And I'm very glad we did. This was fried to perfection. It was simple but very solid.

Bellwether Farms Pepato with palladin toast, dijon mustard

The sheepsmilk with peppercorn was semi-hard with a strong flavor. It paired well with the spicy dijon and warm bread.

Cranberry Bourbon Bundt Cake with toffee sauce and candied pecans

I have a major sweet tooth, but just because I love desserts, doesn't mean I like terribly sweet ones. This bundt cake was perfect! Dense and far from being overly sweet.